WORCESTER, Mass.—The William Smith College rowing team competed in the National Invitational Rowing Championships on Lake Quinsigamond today. The Heron varsity eight finished sixth in the petite final while the second varsity eight took second in the third level final.
The 15th-ranked William Smith 1V of
Susan Tuvell,
Elizabeth Warren,
Karoline Loretan,
Laurie VanBenschoten,
Ellie Lewis,
Grace Hutton,
Margaret Cameron,
Nicole Guardino, and
Elizabeth Houston will be matched up against No. 1 Bates, No. 6 Trinity, No. 7 Tufts, Clark, Mount Holyoke, and Smith in its morning heat. The Herons made an impressive rally with 490 meters to go to wear down Smith and snag the last qualifying place in the petite final. Fourth in its heat, William Smith logged a time of 7:37.981, more than four seconds ahead of the Pioneers.
"They rowed the entire race patiently but with a dogged determination that was missing from last week's racing." Head Coach
Sandra Chu said. "They were trailing Smith for most of the race. It would have been easy to capitulate to that speed in the moment, but they didn't. They charged through them in the last 250."
The 2V of
Hannah Glenshaw,
Madelaine Hamilton,
Paige Usiak,
Kylie Wyskochil,
Madeline Cook,
Danielle Lewis,
Megan Miskovsky,
Jules Picuri, and
Katie Frohman came off the line and was not as composed in its execution. The Herons were last out of five crews with a time of 8:22.297, moving on to the third level final in the afternoon.
In the petite final, the 1V was not able to keep pace with the field, finishing in 7:48.436. Tufts won the race in 7:24.723 followed by RIT, New Hampshire, Hamilton, and Colby.
"We didn't make a particularly good transition to finals," Chu said. "The boat was pretty flat overall and a bobble in the last 500 cost them some seats. They didn't recover their rhythm or continue to fight back which is obviously a disappointment and not something we can continue doing."
The 2V showed a great deal of improvement in their afternoon final. At the 1000, they were struggling to position themselves in third, trailing Simmons. They began hanging up and washing out, as they had done in the morning. Then, two strokes later, they suddenly lengthened out, started getting great bite and the boat surged. By 250 to go, they had a lead on the Sharks. Simmons walked back and it was bow ball to bow ball until the line. William Smith clipped Simmons for second place in the third level final by 0.009 seconds. Colby won the final in 7:38.747, about four seconds ahead of the Herons.
"It was satisfying to see the 2V change the outcome of their race inside the race," Chu said. "This is a skill that more seasoned crews struggle with. They really impressed me with their resiliency from the morning and they were rewarded with the positive outcome following a great battle."
William Smith will wrap up the season in the NCAA Division III Rowing Championship in Gold River, Calif., on May 27-28.
